Taiwan’s Birthday, a CMPA wrap-party, and a Prairie premier leave no vacancy at the Château

The Château Laurier was nearly booked solid on Oct. 7, as diplomats, politicos, parliamentarians, and staffers had their pick of receptions in almost every venue space at the hotel. However, for this reporter, the choices du-nuit were the Canadian Media Producers Association’s CAN-CON celebration and Taiwan’s swanky 114th birthday party. To kick off the night, Party Central arrived just after 5:30 p.m. for the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (CMPA) shindig to avoid the incoming crowds and navigated through the maze of check-in desks and receiving lines for the plethora of parties happening at Ottawa's iconic hotel, including an Embassy Connections reception in the Drawing Room, a Cement Association Canada end-of-summit rager at ZOE's, and the Canada Strong and Free “Prairie Leaders Reception,” in the Adam Room, featuring an address by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. https://twitter.com/ABDanielleSmith/status/1975934551202635956 After arriving in the Laurier Room, Party Central grabbed a complimentary bag of popcorn fresh from the machine, filled both jacket pockets from the bowls of mini Nestlé chocolates, and headed inside for the CMPA’s post-Hill day wrap party. Similar to their last reception in May 2024, this year's party was packed with plenty of opportunities to get hands-on with some of Canada’s most successful productions, from This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Murdoch Mysteries, and an Ice Road Trucker’s simulator that Party Central spotted Small Business and Tourism Minister Rechie Valdez take a crack at. Tourism Minister Rechie Valdes, right, attempts to cross a not-so-frozen river on the Ice Road Truckers simulation. The Hill Times photographs by Stuart Benson JJ Johnson, left, creator of Dino Dex, and Conservative MP Kerry Diotte with Dino Dex’s Emmy. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson Canadian Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault, left, and Global Public Affairs' Hannah Thibedeau, right, show off their snake-charming skills. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson and courtesy of Hannah Thibedeau The Zoo Crew's Ash Chenier, right, introduces attendees to Cherry the tortoise. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson Identity and Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault was also in attendance, and joked during his speech that he was impressed with Valdez’s bravery, as he generally doesn’t operate heavy equipment larger than an e-bike. However, Guilbeault did show off his snake-and-other-reptile-handling skills with the scaly creatures courtesy of The Zoo Crew. Guests could also get hands-on with J.J. Johnson’s Emmy statuette, which he received for his children’s show Dino Dex, or snag a complementary Shoresy “Funkopop” figurine. Mingling in between the CAN-CON booths, Party Central spotted the entire CMPA board, a large contingent from Global Public Affairs, The Lobby Monitor's Hunter Creswell; The Wire Report's Paul Park; The Canadian Press' Anja Karadeglija, ISG Senator Tony Loffreda; Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin; Conservative MPs Kerry Diotte and Laila Goodridge; as well as Liberal MPs Chris Bittle, Sean Casey, Ahmed Hussen, Buckley Belanger, and Caroline Desrochers. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, left, and Reynolds Mastin, CMPA president and CEO. MP Sean Casey, left, Global Public Affairs' Curtis O'Nyon, and MP Ahmed Hussen. Guilbeault, left, Mastin, and Eagle Vision's Kyle Irving. Global Public Affairs' Michaela Rutherford-Blouin, left, Catherine Lansley, Miriam Matthew, Elizabeth Wagdin, Thibedeau, and O'Nyon. Seven24 Films' Tom Cox, left, Mastin, Irving, and IDEACOM's Josette Normandeau. The Hill Times photographs by Stuart Benson Alongside speeches from CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin, and outgoing board chair Damon D’Oliveira, co-founder of Conquering Lions Production, Guilbeault also attempted to reassure the gathered producers and media executives that his government had their backs and that big international—read American—streamers and media firms “have a role to play in investing in their success and sustainability.” Guilbeault, right, addresses the CMPA guests, attempting to assuage concerns over the fate of the Online Streaming Act and Prime Minister Mark Carney's negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson He attempted to assuage the concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump the following day. "Let me be crystal clear: as Canada works out its new trade relationship with the U.S., culture is not and will not be on the table,” Guilbeault said, receiving the loudest applause break of the night. Once the speeches were over, just before 7 p.m., Party Central headed over to the Château’s Ballroom for Taiwan’s 114th National Day Celebration, hosted by the ROC’s representative in Canada, Harry Ho-jen Tseng. Representative Harry Tseng welcomes guests to Taiwan's National Day reception on Oct. 7, at the Château Laurier. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Taiwan's Representative Harry Tseng, his wife, Yu-Ling Yu, and CSG Senator Rob Black. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, left, Tseng, and Yu. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Conservative MPs Shuvaloy Majumdar, left, and Blaine Calkins, with Tseng and Yu. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Former Liberal MP Paul Chiang, left, with Tseng. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia While Party Central missed Tseng’s receiving line, The Hill Times' Sam Garcia was once again on-scene to pick up the slack before staking out a spot in front of the stage for the speeches. Unfortunately, this reporter was stuck near the entrance, behind a near-impenetrable mass of hundreds of diplomats, parliamentarians, staffers, journalists, and Taiwanese Canadians who had arrived on time. Following a singing of the Canadian and Taiwanese national anthems and a welcome message from Tseng, there were also the usual messages of support from parliamentarians, including from Liberal MP Judy Sgro, Conservative MP Michael Cooper, and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, who, as a diplomatic olive branch, delivered just slightly more than half of his speech in English. While not an exhaustive list, due to the size of the crowd and difficulty navigating through it, Party Central spotted Senators Leo Housakos, Stan Kutcher, Rob Black, Kim Pate, Salma Ataullahjan and Michael Macdonald; Liberal MPs Marie-France Lalonde, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Sameer Zuberi, and Helena Jaczek; Bloc MPs Andréanne Larouche, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, and Sébastien Lemire; and Conservative MPs Melissa Lantsman, Larry Brock, Shuvaloy Majumdar, Roman Baber, Andrew Lawton, Blaine Calkins, James Bezan, Frank Caputo, Garnett Genuis, Laila Goodridge, and probably several others, bouncing back and forth between the birthday celebrations and the Alberta premier's event down the hall. Liberal MPs Marie-France Lalonde, left, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, and Helena Jaczek. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson Once the speeches were over, the marquee draw of the event was unveiled: the food. Luckily for Party Central, which has spent the past year shouting—not singing—the praises of last year’s spread, this year more than lived up to the hype. https://twitter.com/LeftHandStu/status/1975705206269661621 Alongside the two stars of the show—the entire hip of Alberta beef at the carving station and the Taiwanese Kavalan single malt whisky—there were steamed pork buns; a seafood medley stir-fry; oyster pancakes; and a maple-glazed cedar-plank salmon, rounding out the star-studded culinary cast. Of course, there was also plenty of cake once the rest of it had been divided and brought over to the equally well-stocked dessert station. After cleaning off several plates of the above, Party Central headed for the exits—and snagged one of the complementary orchid bouquets for good luck—to catch the final innings of the penultimate Blue Jays game against the New York Yankees. With the series now wrapped, this reporter can start spreading the good news: the Yankees are Built to Fall. sbenson@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Taiwan’s Birthday, a CMPA wrap-party, and a Prairie premier leave no vacancy at the Château

The Château Laurier hosted a plethora of parties on Oct. 7, including Taiwan’s 114th National Day, the Canadian Media Producers’ Association’s Hill Day reception, Canada Strong and Free's party with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and a cement-mixer mixer.

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